As most of you may know, this past Saturday was Record Store Day, an industry holiday created to boost sales for independent record stores by releasing limited exclusive records to physical shops across the world. I took part in Record Store Day, and here’s what I was able to come up with.
Our lovely and talented photographer Chris Collins will be hitting up the South By So What?! Festival in Grand Prairie, TX on March 16th, and while the lineup includes a few bands you nor I are particularly fond of, there are a handful of gems on this lineup DEFINITELY worth seeing, such as Norma Jean, Architects, Oh, Sleeper, Betraying the Martyrs, and Within The Ruins. This just speaks to the festival’s ability to cater to a wide audience, really.
From the press release:
With over seventy bands and four stages, this year’s festival is going to be action-packed with jaw-dropping and awesome performances. This years event will be catering a mix of genres including metal, indie rock, pop, and hip hop. It will be taking place on Saturday, March 16 of 2013 and for the second year in a row it will be held at QuickTrip Park (www.quiktrippark.com) in Dallas, Texas. Doors will be at 10:00 a.m. sharp! (VIP will be allowed in prior). Our 2013 headliners are All That Remains, Of Mice & Men, Breathe Carolina, The Ready Set, Outasight, Riff Raff, Escape The Fate, Chiodos, Motionless In White, and Forever The Sickest Kids.
Sure, the show is polarizing. Why even bring it up in the first place, then? Good question. We want you to tell us what bands you want Chris to photograph at the show.
Shannon Lucas is one of the best metal drummers ever. Period. Nobody can tell me otherwise. Even when he was in All That Remains he ruled, and to be honest, that’s all the band ever had going for them. But I digress. After announcing his departure from The Black Dahlia Murder a month or so back, I’ve been really digging deep into his work with them and other bands. His playing is just so fluid and so effortless that it’s almost disgusting. He had announced a side project in the same video talking about Adam from Killswitch Engage and Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse doing a sideproject with him, but it seems to be shelved for the moment. But now we’re getting word that there will be another supergroup, consisting of current TBDM vocalist Trevor Strnad, Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury and Adam Faris, who was a member of Wartorn, Lucas’s previous band.
I am super stoked. This lineup is killer, and it’s not going to be hard to make a killer record. The group, unnamed as of today, apparently already has guitars tracked and will be heading into the studio to track vocals and drums very soon. We’ll get you more details as they come!
[News and image via Metalsucks]
-SS
Ladies and gentlemen, modern death metal titans The Black Dahlia Murder are now in the studio, and have wasted no time in getting the hype train rolling on their forthcoming release. The band posted the above teaser for their new album Everblack on Facebook following internet-wide news that the band have entered the studio with Eyal Levi at Audiohammer Studios, and there’s quite a bit of excitement around these parts. Following what might be one of their best releases in 2011′s Ritual and the band’s increasing popularity, a new record building upon that foundation with Levi’s stellar production is a no-brainer for getting stoked over.
Unfortunately the anticipation is matched with some apprehension, as TBDM are now without famed drummer Shannon Lucas, who has been a major staple for the band since jumping ship from All That Remains in 2005. At this stage in their careers though, it won’t be overly difficult to find a brilliant full-time replacement. Their current fill-in drummer Alan Cassidy seems to remain intact, and while there’s no confirmation that he’s actually the one recording the album, it’s probably a safe bet.
So with all this in mind, keep your eyes out this summer for Everblack on Metal Blade Records.
- JR
Brendon Small is a remarkable fellow. Not only has he enjoyed the success of two animated series on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim (Home Movies and Metalocalypse), but the Berklee graduate is also a gifted musician and standup comic.
Small discusses Metal, why his next television endeavor won’t be animated, acting school, his heroes, and his hopes of returning to standup comedy.
So do you ever plan to revisit standup, and what was that like compared to acting, studying at Berklee, and then today, making cartoons?
It’s funny, ’cause my goals in standup are very specific and small from time to time because I enjoy doing it, I enjoy [it] when new stuff works. I’m kinda using it to develop some ideas right now, but there’s some other stuff that I’m working on. When I go up onstage, when you see me performing, it has nothing to do with the world of Metal, or anything. It’s more just related to my life and my family… it’s kind of almost more… about whatever’s going on in my life at any particular time. But it’s fun, I enjoy it. It’s harder than anything else you’ll do… I just kinda learned how to redo it, relearned the rules or whatever “not to do”. Stupid mistakes people [make] with the audience.
Playing Metal in front of 30,000 people is WAY easier than performing for a small room of 18 people.
Really? The pressure’s that different?
It’s just [that] comedy’s not guaranteed to work. It really is not. When you go see a comedy show, it doesn’t mean it’s gonna be funny. You’re trying something that may not work. When you go and see a Metal show, I can go and rehearse, I can sit with the drummer, I can write some songs, I can put ‘em on a CD, and… I can gauge whether people are enjoying themselves by sales on all that stuff. And then I can go and play them, and chances are good – unless I screw up – that what I give the audience is what they expect, and they’re excited and everything. But that is NOT the case with comedy. I could have a misstep from the very beginning and lose people who are actually fans, by maybe losing confidence in the moment… Even if you do really well at the top of your set, it doesn’t mean that the middle of your set is gonna go well. But you can also potentially get them back again.
Anyway… I’m still very fascinated by it, but you kind of get out of it what you put into it. You have some comics who just want to be standups for a living, then you have people that are gonna utilize it as a tool for writing.
It’s easy to peg Long Island Quartet Thracian as a derivative metalcore band, but there is something very captivating about them. Perhaps it’s Mr. Arena’s vocals. The way he trudges through every syllable of the line “I find myself endlessly wading through these waves of repetition” to reflect the meaning of the line is impressive on it’s own but his raspy and raw sound is very evocative. It’s obvious that their vocalist channels Jacob Bannon, but the vocals are unique and that’s not to be taken for granted. Aside from Dan’s stellar vocal approach, the music isn’t half bad either! You might find yourself giving this track it’s fair share of listens. There is much to be enjoyed with some great riffing, intricate drum work and a raw yet crystal clear mix. I find myself remembering a simpler time with this song. When metalcore was fresh and bands like Killswitch Engage and All That Remains sat on the thrones of relevancy. However, Thracian mix things up by putting in an emotional interlude and a solid dose of feels. Give it a spin!
-CD
As I Lay Dying01. Cauterize
02. A Greater Foundation
03. Resilience
04. Wasted Words
05. Whispering Silence
06. Overcome
07. No Lungs To Breathe
08. Defender
09. Washed Away
10. My Only Home
11. Tear Out My Eyes
There’s a reason that San Diego’s As I Lay Dying remained ever-popular after the New Wave Of American Metal phase of metalcore waned in popularity. Throughout the genre’s rise and saturation, the band managed to stand out with enough overall quality and personality to remain relevant into their sixth studio album a decade after their formation. What’s even more telling of the band’s longevity is that not only do they manage to remain strong past their genre’s expiration date, they continue to release albums without decay, something one could definitely not say about their contemporaries in Killswitch Engage and All That Remains. No, As I Lay Dying have surely earned their popularity, and they continue their exemplary career in their latest offering Awakened.
It wasn’t too long ago when rumors started floating around regarding the upcoming Dethklok tour, and now it’s been confirmed. Dethklok will be hitting the road this Fall with Machine Head, All That Remains, and The Black Dahlia Murder. Machine Head and All That Remains will have a rotating direct support slot, but if All That Remains’ set is heavy on the new material, then my colleague Evan is right in saying it’s probably worth skipping. I hate to be a negative nancy, but… you know.
Here are the dates:
10/30 Norfolk, VA – Norva
10/31 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
11/02 Silver Spring, MD – Fillmore
11/03 New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom
11/04 Worcester, MA – Palladium
11/05 Montreal, QC – Metropolis
11/07 Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
11/08 Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
11/09 Columbus, OH – LC Pavilion
11/10 Detroit, MI – Fillmore
11/11 Grand Rapids, MI – Orbit Room
11/13 Fargo, ND – The Venue
11/14 Minneapolis, MN – Myth
11/15 Milwaukee, WI – Rave / Eagles Club
11/16 Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom
11/17 Kansas City, MO – Midland
11/18 St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
11/20 Denver, Co – Fillmore
11/21 Salt Lake City, UT – Great Salt Air
11/23 Seattle, WA – Showbox SODO
11/24 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
11/26 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
11/27 Hollywood, CA – Palladium
11/28 Phoenix, AZ – Marquee
11/30 Dallas, TX – House Of Blues
12/01 Austin, TX – Stubbs
12/02 Houston, TX House of Blues
12/04 Orlando, FL – House Of Blues
12/06 Chattanooga, TN – Track 29
12/07 Charlotte, NC – Fillmore
12/08 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
Thankfully, the tour is extensive and hits across the States. Make it out if you can!
- JR
Everyone and their mother’s is now aware of the circumstances that led to the cancellation of the immaculate co-headlining tour between Dethklok and Lamb of God with special guests Gojira that was suppose to take place in September. Randy Blythe was incarcerated for a few weeks and well the whole thing fell apart.
Lamb of God has since announced a new tour to make up for it, but my Jimmies were still rustled by the lack of Dethklok. Luckily for me and all the Klokheads — as I will now be referring to fans of the band — there appears to be a rumor floating around that a new Dethklok tour is in the works. Rumor has it that support will be coming from Machine Head (A), The Black Dahlia Murder (A+), and unfortunately All that Remains (F–).
Even though that last placement is a bit of a downer, it would still be a sweet show. You could catch TBDM, go outside for a smoke while All That Remains embarrasses themselves on stage, and then come back to catch the other good parts of the show.
I’m normally not one to bash bands, but I think it is pretty clear that the only thing that remains for All That Remains is shit.
So yeah, hopefully this turns out to be more than a rumor, because I have not had the chance to see Dethklok live, and I’m looking forward to it.
- EC
I used to be a massive All That Remains fan. Ever since I heard ‘Six’ on Guitar Hero 2 and subsequently bought The Fall of Ideals, they fell into my heart and graces for the next few years. I still maintain that The Fall of Ideals is one of the best metalcore records. However, not too long after Overcome‘s record cycle, I fell off the wagon and have been thoroughly unimpressed with their generic formula ever since. It’s like they stopped writing passionate jams that were both intensely melodic and heavy and instead litter their albums with potential moneymakers.
I never really expect them to return to form, but I still get curious. Their new single ‘Stand Up’ was recently made available, and it’s the same track you’ve heard from the band time and time again; it’s boring and uninspired mid-tempo radio rock, maybe gaining a bit of momentum at best during the solo section. Where did it all go? I miss songs like ‘The Weak Willed,’ man.
In the off-chance you still care, you can listen to the track below. Their new album A War You Cannot Win is due out November 6th via Prosthetic/Razor & Tie.
